Circuit breaker



April 10, 1934. GLN' LEMMON 1,954,633

CIRCUIT BREAKER Filed Aug. 11, 1930 Patented Apr. 10, 1934 George N.'Iiemmon, Ho Ala assignor to :firthern States 00., Birmingham,

Application sum 11, im, sum No. 474,335 is Claims. (01. 200-126) This invention relates to electric circuit interrupters of the kind used on high-tension or a device of the above type, fusible means to reestablish automatically a circuit which has been interrupted by the rupture of a fusible con- Another object is to provide several reserve fuses and to connect them automatically and successively in the power circuit as required.

lr Other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as it is described in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the draw Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invention.

Figure 2 is'an end elevation of the invention as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail view of the latch and release mechanism.

Referring to the drawing the apparatus is shown with three fuses of which one fuse is rup- 3 it a current-conducting bar, indicated in the 5 and farther away from the post 23 than the rod 5. The posts 23 have current-carrying brackets 25 on their tops and are bridged by current-carrying rods 6 whose ends are received in the brackets 25.

For pivotally mounting fuse-containing insulating tubes 7, 8, and 9 upon the rod 5 in position to swing in vertical planes parallel to the rods 22, 23, each tube is provided at one end with a hinge member 26.

These hinge members 26 each have a sleeve portion surrounding the end of the tube, and from the sleeve there extend down two short arms 27, 27' having curved notches in their ends which tube 7 is of this invention to provide, in V coiled spring 18 as illustrated in Figure 3. In order that the tubes may be held in elevated position out of circuit, 1. e. in the reserve position in shown in the drawing, there is provided a lug 28 extending from the hinge 26 in the opposite direction from and aligned with the arm 27, and this lug has a transverse catch pin 14 projecting from its end into the path of and for engagement by a hook or catch 15 which is pivotally mounted on the rod 4. The other arm 27 is provided with an extension which has at its end a transverse catch-tripping pin 17, the function of which will hereinafter more fully appear.

/ Since, under normal conditions, one fuse will always be in service, one less catch will be provided than the number of fuses, so that when the device is set, fuse 9 will be horizontal (circuit making position) and fuses 7 and 8 will be held tilted back by catches 15, (reserve position).

In order that the fuses may be held in horizontal position to complete the circuit from posts 22 to posts 23 there is provided on the swinging end of each tube a bracket 29 having a sleeve portion embracing the tube and having two laterally extending parallel arms, on the ends of which arms is pivotally mounted a latch member 11. The latch 11 extends alongside of the bracket and engages at one end with the rod 6, while the fuse is in horizontal position. The other end of the latch 11 is attached to a fusible conductor or link 10 which pulls said end of the latch against the tube end: The other end of the fusible conductor 10 is secured by screw 13 to the hinge 26.

From the foregoing it will be observed that tubes 7, 8 and 9 with hinges 26 and brackets 29 form holders for the fusible conductors or fuse links 10.

, The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

Assuming fuse 9 is in circuit making position, and fuses 7 and 8 are in reserve position, if trouble on the line or an excess load causes fusible conductor 10 of fuse 9 to rupture, latch 11 will thereupon be permitted to pivot counterclockwise allowing fuse 9 to'swing down into the position in which it is shown in the drawing. In so doing the pin 17 moving in the plane of the catch 15 which holds the next adjacent fuse 8, in reserve, will strike that catch, thus rockihg it clockwise and releasing fuse 8 which will then fall down due to the-force of gravity to the'position in which it is shown in the drawing. The latch 11 'of fuse 8 will hold the fuse in circuit-- closing position unless the excess load or line trouble persists, in which case the fusible com ductor in fuse 8 will rupture and operate to release and encircuit fuse '7.

This sequence of operations is repeated until the line trouble has ceased or-until all the fuses have been ruptured. After the'line trouble has been eliminated, the fuses may be replaced and the device put back into service with one fuse carrying current and the others remaining in reserve, ready for use in succession as needed. The

fuses with their ruptured conductors hang down out of the current path and can be readily noted for repairs.

Although I have described the invention in detail, it will be obvious that many changes, within the scope of the invention, may be made in the design of the apparatus, the number of fuse units provided, and the types of latches, catches and fuses used. Therefore I do not limit myself to the specific form of the illustrated embodiment of this invention.

Iclaim:

1. A refusing unit including, a primary fuse adapted to carry the line circuit, a secondary fuse pivotally and independently mounted near said primary fuse, and means for causing said secondary fuse to be substituted for said primary fuse by the blowing out of said primary fuse.

2. A refusing unit including, several fuse members, means for supporting a fuse connected in an electric circuit, means for hingedly supporting another of said fuse members in a reserve position adjacent the tube and separated from and independent of the first fuse and means operable by said first fuse to automatically swing a new fuse in said circuit when the first fuse blows out. A

3. In a circuit breaker, a plurality of movable insulating tubular containers mounted upon a common base, flexible conductors within the containers, separate latch means for each container and interengaging means between adjacent containers, whereby each of the said'conductors successively is movable into and out of circuit-.

closing position.

4. In a circuit interrupter, two spaced insulators, a conducting terminal mounted upon one insulator and a metallic base mounted upon the other, an insulating tube in the gap between said insulators, a flexible conductor within the tube and completing a circuit therethrough, a second tube and flexible conductor supported at one end on the said metallic base and separated from the said conducting terminal by an air gap, together with means operable upon excess load to create an air-gap between the first tube and the conducting terminal and immediately thereafter to eliminate the air-gap between the second tube and the conducting terminal. 5. In a circuit interrupter, a plurality of conducting terminals spaced away from a stationary support, a plurality of corresponding arms mounted on said support and movable into and out of gap-spanning position, a fusible conductor associated with each arm and with its corresponding conducting terminal, together with automatic means to keep only one arm in gapspanning position at any one time.

6. In a circuit interrupter, a pair of gapspaced supports, a conducting terminal mounted upon each of the-supports, a plurality of fuseholders holding fusible links and being pivotally mounted upon one of the conducting terminals and movable into and out of contact with the other terminal, together with automatic means to keep one, and only one, fuse'holder in gap spanning position at any one time.

'7. In a circuit interrupter, a conducting terminal, a stationary conducting support spaced away from said terminal, a plurality of insulating tubes mounted by one end upon said support with the other ends of the tubes electrically separated from one another, a flexible conductor within each tube, and means to keep only one of said flexible conductors and its tube at one time in circuit between said terminal and said support to electrically connect them.

8. In a circuit interrupter a pair of gap-spaced terminals, a plurality of movable insulating tubular containers pivotally mounted upon one of said terminals, a flexible conductor within each container, together with means to move one container and its conductor into and out of gapspanning position, and automatic means operable thereafter to move a second container into gapspanning position. I

9. In a circuit interrupter, a pair of gapspaced terminals, a plurality of insuiating tubes each with a conductor therethrough and each pivotally mounted upon one terminal, fuse-con- 190 trolled means to hold one tube in gap-spanning position, means to remove the tube when the fuse has ruptured, and holding means to hold a second tube in reserve position away from the second termin said holding means being releasable by 195 motion of the first tube.

10. In a circuit interrupter, a pair of gap-spaced terminals, a plurality of insulating tubes each with a conductor therethrough and'each pivotally mounted upon one terminal, means controlled 31o bya conductor to hold one tube in gap-spanning position, means to remove the tube when the conductor has ruptured, holding means to hold a second tube in reserve position away from the second terminal, said holding means being releasable by motion of the first tube, together with means to bring the second tube into gap-spanning position.

11. In a circuit interrupter, a conducting terminal, a stationary conducting support spaced away from said terminal, a plurality of insulating tubes mounted by one end upon said support with the other ends of the tubes electrically separated from one another, a fuse within each tube, means to position-one fuse and tube in position between said terminal and support to electrically connect them, and means operable upon the blowing of said fuse to remove its tube, and to bring another of said fuses into said circuit.

12. In a circuit breaker, two spaced insulated 13g terminals, a plurality of tubular containers pivotally mounted on one terminal, each container being separately mounted and movable independently of the other containers, a contact member upon each of said containers, flexible conductors within said containers, electrical connections between the ends of said conductors which are nearest to said one terminal, the other ends .of said conductors being electrically separated,

and conducting means on the other terminal for 14% engaging with said contact members. 7

13. In a circuit interrupter, a plurality of stationary supports mutually insulated from each other, a plurality of means adapted to bridge the gap between said supports and adapted to be 1 ruptured upon occurrence of excess load, a separate movable mounting for each of said means, means for holding one of said mountings in bridging position, means for olding the remainder of said mountings in r we position, said flrstnamed holding means being released upon excess load and said last-named holding means for any given mounting being released upon movement of an adjacent mounting as the result of excess load.

14. In acircuit interrupter, a pair of spaced conducting terminals, an insulating tube mounted upon the first terminal, a flexible conductor .within the tube and normally completing a circuit between the two terminals, a second tube and conductor mounted upon the first terminal and held away from the second terminal, means operable immediately after rupture of said flexible conductor to remove the first tube from its circuit-completing position, and means then operableto move the second insulating tube and its conductor into circuit-completing position.

15. In a circuit breaker, two spaced insulated conducting terminals, a plurality of tubular insulating containers pivotally mounted on one of the terminals, each container being separately mounted and movable independently of the other containers, flexible conductors within the containers, means to hold one of the conductors in its container in position to span the gap and close the" circuit between the said terminals, means to hold all remaining conductors out of circuit-closing position, together with automatic means operable upon overload in the circuit to bring each of the said remaining conductors successively into circuit.

16.. In a circuit interrupter, a conducting terminal, a stationary support spaced away from said terminal, a plurality of insulating tubes hinged on said support, each tube being capable of separate movement independent of any other tube and each tube having a flexible conductor therethrough, means to hold one tube and its conductor in a position to carry current flowing between the conducting terminal and the support, means to hold a second tube and its conductor in reserve position out of contact with the said conducting terminal and means operable upon rupture of the firstflexible conductor to move the second tube from reserve position into current-carrying position.

17. In a circuit interrupter a conducting terminal spaced away from a stationary support upon which support are hinged a plurality of insulating tubes each with a conductor therethrough, means to hold one tube and its conductor in a position to carry current flowing between the conducting terminal and the support, means to hold a second tube and its conductor in reserve position away from the said conducting terminal, and means operable immediately after rupture of said flexible conductor to remove the first tube from current-carrying position and to move the second tube from reserve position into current-carrying position.

18. In a circuit interrupter, a conducting terminal, a stationary conducting support spaced away from said terminal, a plurality of insulat- 100 ing tubes hingedly mounted upon said support with their free ends electrically separated from one another, a flexible conductor within each tube, means positioning one of said tubes and conductors between said terminal and support, to elec- GEORGE N. LEIWMON. 

